Rogers testing Marinelli's credibility

AP File PhotoShaun Rogers shares a laugh with Lions coach Rod Marinelli during a May minicamp.

ALLEN PARK -- Don't be surprised, when April finally rolls around, if Shaun Rogers is dealt in a draft-day trade. Right now, the odds of that happening are about 50-50.

Rogers, the Detroit Lions talented defensive tackle, has disappeared on head coach Rod Marinelli at the most important part of the season. Rogers' play has declined in recent weeks and this is when Marinelli needs his star players to step up, not stoop over and gasp for air.

Marinelli has done everything he can to try to get Rogers to play at a high level with some consistency and it appeared earlier in the year that Rogers was responding. He was playing very well and was a force. But now Rogers has tailed off and Marinelli has to wonder if he can ever count on Rogers game in and game out.

This is becoming a credibility issue with Marinelli because he keeps preaching accountability and "putting it on tape" and that standard is supposed to apply to everybody.

Because Rogers is so talented, everyone accepted why Marinelli has been more lenient with Rogers over the last two years. If Marinelli was able to push the right buttons, the Lions would have a tremendous player in the trenches and nobody wanted to give up on Rogers too soon.

But now Marinelli might have reached the point of diminishing returns.

Many believed that it was mostly a maturity issue with Rogers and that after his suspension last year and controversial offseason, he might see the light. If he did, it was probably the bulb in his refrigerator flicking on. The Lions won't discuss Rogers' weight -- and neither will he -- but there have been reports that he weighs between 360 and 380 pounds.

Marinelli didn't push Rogers in training camp, giving him more than enough time to get his knees healthy and to keep him fresh overall. As a result, Rogers wasn't in the greatest shape, but the idea was to make sure Rogers would be ready to play on Sunday afternoons and slowly work himself into better condition.

It never happened.

If the Lions trade Rogers, they'd take a salary cap hit of about $5.7 million, but they'd save $4.25 million in salary next season. Also, the Lions have to look down the road because Rogers' salary goes up to $5.25 million 2009 and $7 million in 2010. Marinelli could simply cut Rogers and break up his cap hit over the next two years, but the the Lions believe they can get some value out of Rogers and, even if it's just draft picks, at least they're getting something out of it.

If Rogers is going to be part of the Lions' plan moving forward, he's going to have to show that it's really important to him and make some sacrifices in the offseason. If Rogers enters a weight-loss program -- like Damien Woody did last year -- then there's reason to believe that Rogers might finally "get it."

However, if Rogers simply goes through the motions for another offseason and there aren't any noticeable changes in his attitude or conditioning in March and April, then Marinelli might not have any other choice but to part ways.

Yes, it's true that star players sometimes get treated a little bit differently -- that's true on nearly every sports team -- but that player has to actually be playing like a star. Rogers has rested on his laurels long enough (and the key word here being 'rested.')

The Lions don't have enough to talent -- especially on defense -- to arbitrarily jettison good players, but there has to come a point where Marinelli refuses to accept a substandard level of commitment. If the Lions are going to make a run at a championship in our lifetime, they have to become a team, not just a collection of talent. Shaun Rogers can be part of that team, but it's entirely up to him.

The Lions really can't afford to lose Rogers but the cost of keeping him -- and the negative impact he'll have on building a cohesive unit -- might be too high for Marinelli to accept.